


The Art Of Loving The Unplanned

by Joo_rin



Category: SHINee
Genre: Fluff, Implied Alpha Beta Omega Dynamics, M/M, Mpreg, Slice of Life, cross-posted on asianfanfics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-10-26
Packaged: 2018-06-03 14:18:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6613996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joo_rin/pseuds/Joo_rin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because life is full of surprises and sometimes, the unplanned sires the best in one's life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you'll enjoy!  
> Tell me what you think in the comments?  
> xoxo
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the celebrities here mentioned. The OCs and storyline are mine.

 

Taemin stared at the white stick in his hand, a knot forming in his throat and an anguished feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. 

 

It took him a few minutes to process the information the plastic piece was giving him, and when it finally sank in, a trembling breath escaped his lips as he leaned back against the door of the bathroom, feeling like his legs would give out on him. 

 

_Great. Just great._

 

The two small lines seemed to be mocking him, laughing at his face and he wanted nothing but to throw the plastic stick out and pretend he had never taken that test. Yet, he knew such thing would be impossible. Even if he did throw it away, pretended he didn't know about his condition, its physical manifestations would soon add up to the already very present first symptoms and he would have no way out. 

 

He felt a lump form in his throat at the memories of a conversation he'd had with his husband a while back; in which Minho had been adamant about not wanting any kids. Taemin – although having never really thought about it – found himself upset over the fact his husband seemed not to want to even consider the possibility. It had also led to a fight that had ended with both of them dropping the topic altogether.

 

How was he supposed to tell Minho he was pregnant now?

 

A knock on the door suddenly pulled him out of his reverie and he jolted slightly, feeling his breath pick up.

 

“Taemin, are you done yet? I need to take a shower, I'm late for work.”

 

Clearing his throat, Taemin quickly stuffed the pregnancy test in the front pocket of his sweater and unlocked the door, pulling it open to reveal a disheveled Minho standing there with an annoyed look in his eyes that quickly seemed to morph into concern as they fell on the younger's features.

 

“Are you alright? Are you feeling sick again?” he asked with a small frown. 

 

Taemin just shook his head, unable to make eye-contact with the taller male.

 

“I'm fine. Sorry... go in... I'll- I'll make breakfast.”

 

With that said, he stepped out of the bathroom and walked away the faster he could, trying to put as much distance as he could with the dark haired male, still unable to come with terms with the news he had just confirmed. 

As he reached the kitchen, he let out a deep sigh as he rested his palms on the counter and hang his head low, feeling a sudden urge to burst into tears and hide in a hole – the later would be better.

 

 

“ _I can't believe my mom always manages to bring everything down to us having kids.” Minho complained as they laid in bed one night, after dinner with Minho's family._

 

“ _She wants grand-kids, you can't blame her.” Taemin chuckled, resting his head on his husband's chest._

 

_A snort was all he got for an answer as the older male started running his fingertips up and down his upper-arm._

 

“ _I don't get why it makes you so upset every time.” Taemin confessed then. “It's not like she's asking for the moon. Besides, it might happen someday.”_

 

“ _Like hell it will.” Minho retorted._

 

_Taemin frowned, raising his head to prob his chin on his husband's chest, so he could look at the elder's face._

 

“ _What's that supposed to mean?”_

 

_Minho sighed._

 

“ _I don't want kids Tae.” the elder replied. “I thought you'd have figured it out by now...”_

 

_The raven-head huffed, pushing himself into a sitting position, Minho soon mirroring his actions as he leaned back against the headboard of the bed, a raised eyebrow showing his surprise._

 

“ _What if I do?” the younger questioned._

 

_Minho laughed at that._

 

_He_ laughed _. Taemin stared at the elder, feeling almost offended by the expression of mirth – or was it mockery? –._

 

“ _You can't be serious.” Minho said, as he finally took notice of his husband's unamused expression. “Kids are trouble. Once you have them, you can forget your freedom. Is that what you want?”_

 

_To be honest, Taemin had never really thought about the possibility of having kids before, so he had no defined opinion on the matter, but hearing Minho be so adamant about not wanting any had stung in a way he couldn't really explain._

 

_At his silence, his husband reached out to wrap his arms around his waist and bring him closer to his chest, seizing his chin with two fingers before putting a light kiss on his lips._

 

“ _We're still young, okay? Let's worry about descendants when we're like... forty or something...”_

 

_Taemin wanted to argue it wasn't just about having descendants, but he had no other arguments to back up the idea and really... he had yet to even properly consider the possibility of having kids, he couldn't quite counter Minho for now._

 

_So he just sighed in resignation and let Minho lay them both back on the bed, cuddling him close._

 

 

 

And just like that, the topic of that night was never brought up again. Every time someone even evoked them having kids, they just simply smiled and expertly avoided the subject and Taemin felt he had let Minho win the argument without even putting much of a fight.

 

Despite everything, neither of them had been very careful on using contraceptive methods. He had to admit that was something that had always been, without a doubt, the last of their worries during their passionate moments. In fact, now that he thought about it, it was surprising he hadn't gotten pregnant sooner.

 

A groan left his lips at the thought.

 

Shaking his head to brush the thoughts away, he walked to the fridge, deciding he would think about that matter later.

 

The problem was, “later” didn't give him a deadline to respect and before he knew it a month had gone by and he hadn't told anyone about his pregnancy. He was too scared of Minho's reaction which dissuaded him every time the thought of telling the elder crossed his mind. 

 

“If you want a ride, we need to leave now.” Minho said as he appeared at the door to the kitchen, struggling with his tie.

 

Snapping out of his thoughts, Taemin closed the dish-washer and turned it on before taking his bag that was sitting on the counter and walking to the older male. 

 

“Let me.” he slapped Minho's hands from the tie and started fixing it. “You never wear these things, why today?” 

 

Minho sighed. “Meeting with the Chinese sponsors, father said I needed to look professional.” 

 

Taemin chuckled as he finished arranging the tie. 

 

“And a tie is your symbol of professionalism?”

 

Minho just gave him an annoyed look before thanking him for the help. 

 

“Let's go, I don't want to be late.” he said, ignoring the younger's question. 

 

Taemin just followed him out of the door with an amused expression on his face. As they got inside the car, a comfortable silence quickly installed itself between them. 

 

Seven years earlier, if anyone had told him he'd ever find himself married to Choi Minho, he would have laughed right at their face.

Growing up together, with families as close as theirs were, had done nothing to favor their relationship. As kids and teens, the two of them had always bickered over the most trivial things, hang out with different people and when they could, just ignored the other's existence.

Only as they reached their twenties and enough maturity to understand that, in reality their constant fighting was nothing but consequence of a deep sexual tension – blame such realization on a drunken party ending with them waking up in each other's arms –, things between them had considerably changed. 

 

Before they knew it, they were madly in love and were dating. When, after three years of relationship – with it's peaks and valleys, let's be honest – Minho had gone down on one knee and proposed to him, Taemin hadn't hesitated to say yes.

 

Four years later, Taemin couldn't even phantom himself away from Minho. He loved the older male with all his heart and to think that, because he was now carrying the elder's child, there was a chance, as slim as it could be, that his husband would be mad at him, maybe even worse... scared him to death.

 

As the thought crossed his mind, a small frown appeared on his face and he subconsciously brought a hand to rest on the flat surface of his stomach. 

It was incredible just how much attached he already felt to the little life growing inside of him, the only visit he had payed to the doctor having done nothing but enhance such feeling when he had been given the chance to hear his baby's heartbeat. He just wished he was able to share such joy with Minho...

A s much as he couldn't picture himself without his husband, the same now applied to his baby and something told him, that whatever Minho's reaction came to be when he learned of the pregnancy, he would never be able to give up on his child.

 

Minho stopped the car on the sidewalk in front of the applied arts high-school where Taemin worked as a ballet instructor. 

 

“When do you get off?” he asked as Taemin unbuckled his seat-belt.

 

“You don't need to pick me up, my car should be ready this afternoon, I'll pick it up at the garage.” the younger said for a reply. “Thanks for the ride.”

 

“Are you sure you don't want me to come and get you?” 

 

The raven head just nodded with a small smile, leaning towards the elder and pecking him on the lips before getting out of the vehicle and waving the elder goodbye as he drove off. 

 

He walked inside the high-school  and ma de his way to his classroom, quickly undressing of his track pants to stay only on his black leggings and white loose shirt, before wearing his ballet slippers in the place of his sneakers. 

He knew dancing wasn't exactly the best thing to do in his condition, the doctor having already warned him about the dangers, but he couldn't just stop working; specially not when no one around him knew about his condition. So he had been trying not to push himself too much, counting on the fact he was only there to teach his students and not actually perform. So far it was working fairly well. 

 

That went without counting on the little accidents of life. 

 

It happened after his last class of the day. Students were always in such a hurry to leave, he should've predicted descending the stairs with a mob of rushing teens wasn't a good idea.

One moment, he was half-way down the stairs, the other, a group of boys rushed passed him, bumping on him violently in their haste and  making him miss a step.

That's when everything went like a blur, he lost balance and his body went down to meet the hard concrete surface of the stairs in a painful descent.

 

All he could think of at that moment, was protect his middle, wrapping his arms around his belly as every other unprotected part of his body hit the floor. When finally his fall met an end, everything hurt. His head and back mostly.

 

“Teacher!” a girl yelled as she squatted by his side. “Are you alright?”

 

He grunted, afraid to move. Was his baby okay? Had the fall hurt it?

 

“Mr. Choi? Do you think you can get up?” he heard a male voice ask. 

 

He looked up, barely recognizing Mr. Kang, a drama teacher, through his hazy vision.

 

“I think so...” he managed to say.

 

“Here, let me help you.”

 

The man squatted by his side, reaching out to help him sit up and then, slowly to his feet. Taemin felt slightly dizzy then, unknowingly leaning into the other man as he swayed slightly, arms still tightly wrapped around his middle.

 

“You're head's bleeding.” the man said. “Let me take you to the infirmary.”

 

The raven head frowned slightly, reaching up a hand to touch his forehead where indeed, he felt something dripping down his temple. When he retrieved his hand, it was only to confirm the blood smeared on his fingertips.

 

“Teacher... we're so sorry...” a boy said as he and a shorter one walked up in front of him, bowing deeply a few times. “We didn't mean for that to happen. Please forgive us.”

 

He wanted to yell at the two for being so careless, but found himself too tired to even scold them.

 

“Just don't go running around anymore.” he said simply.

 

Mr. Kang was the one to scold the boys then, before asking the girl from earlier to pass him Taemin's bag and proceeding to walking the younger to the infirmary. As they passed the threshold to the nurse's office, the woman rose her head from the magazine she was reading, her eyes widening at the sight of the two teachers.

 

She quickly marched over to them, asking what had happened and directing Taemin to sit on a bed. As he did, he explained to her about the fall and then looked at Mr. Kang, serving the man a small smile.

 

"Thank you for you help." He said.

 

The man just shook his head to dismiss the words.

 

"Do you want me to stay?" The man asked.

 

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you."

 

Mr. Kang nodded once before seeing himself out of the room.

 

"Let me see this." The nurse then said, setting a small first-aid kit by his right on the bed.

 

As she started cleansing the wound on his forehead, Taemin kept his hand on his stomach, his heart constricted as he tried putting to words the question burning at lips.

 

"Do... do you think the..." he cleared his throat. "Do you think the fall could have hurt my baby?"

 

The woman stopped her ministrations on his temple to look at him in surprise.

 

"You're pregnant?" She asked.

 

He nodded slowly, liking his dry lips.

 

She stared at him for a moment, before her gaze softened.

 

"Well, congratulations are in order then." The nurse said with a small smile.

 

"Thank you..."

 

He couldn't believe the very first person – aside from his doctor – to whom he told about his pregnancy was the school's nurse.

 

"But... the fall..."

 

She smiled reassuringly at him, before going back to treating the wound on his forehead.

 

"It depends on how you fell. Did you hit you abdomen? How far along are you?"

 

"No, I put my arms to shield it... I'm ten weeks along."

 

"Do you feel any pain on you stomach?”

 

“No...”

 

“Well then, it should be fine." The nurse said. "You know, your baby's pretty well cushioned in there."

 

Taemin let his lips stretch slightly in a small smile. Still, he couldn't shake off the worry.

 

"You can still get a check up to make sure though. Besides" the nurse pressed a gauze to his forehead, before sticking it with medical tape, making him wince slightly. "you'll need to go the hospital anyway, because this is going to need stitches. You can ask for a doctor to check your baby's condition then."

 

Taemin nodded dumbly. He really hoped she was right, that his baby was fine. He didn't care about his forehead and in all honesty, the dull pain that irradiated the wound was the last of his worries.

 

"Do you have anyone we could call to pick you up? It's not recommended you drive in your current state. Or we can still call an ambulance."

 

"No, it's fine... I'll just call my husband..."

 

Taemin only realized what he was saying once the word “husband” rolled off his tongue. Instantly, a warning seemed to light up in his head. What if Minho ended up discovering his pregnancy by some misstep of his? How would the elder react? How would he explain he had been keeping this from the elder for a month?

 

Still, neither of these thoughts and questions managed to dissuade him from the idea of calling the elder. He knew that right now, he'd only feel reassurance with the older male by his side. 

 

The nurse smiled. 

 

"Alright then. I'll leave you to it, you should probably stay there, until he gets here.”

 

He nodded, reaching out for his bag, Mr. Kang had set on the bed by his side. As he took out his smart-phone and dialed Minho's number, bringing the device to his ear, he let his other hand trail back to his stomach, caressing the still flat surface soothingly.

 

A few rings passed and when he was starting to think Minho wouldn't pick up, the elder's deep voice rang through the speaker.

 

“ _Hello?”_

 

“Hi, Minho...” he said, not sure why he felt like crying suddenly.

 

And he cursed such need when Minho's tone shifted to a concerned one, probably having sensed something was wrong by his voice.

 

“ _Something happened? Are you alright?”_

 

The raven-head gulped slightly, trying to get rid of the small lump in his throat.

 

“Are you still working?” he asked instead of answering the elder's questions.

 

“ _I'm leaving now, why? Do you want me to pick you up?”_

 

“Please.”

 

“ _Okay...”_ there was a pause. _“Tae, is something wrong?”_

 

“No... I just... It's nothing serious.”

 

“ _Taemin.”_ the warning was clear.

 

“Really.” he insisted.

 

A sigh.  _“... alright. I'll be right there.”_

 

“Thanks.”

 

And with that they hung up. As he set the phone aside, Taemin took in a deep breath, the ache in his head seeming to increase by the minute, as did the throbbing of his back and shoulders.

 

The nurse looked over from the papers she had been arranging on her desk.

 

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

 

“Sore.” he answered, with a slightly grimace.

 

The woman served him a tiny smile. “I can imagine. You were lucky you didn't break anything.”

 

“I guess so...”

 

Like that, they kept making small talk until about twenty minutes later when the raven-head's phone went off. Taemin reached for the device, sweeping a finger over the green symbol on the screen and bringing it to his ear.

 

“Min?”

 

“ _I'm here, where are you?”_ Minho asked right away.

 

Taemin bit the inside of his cheek. Right. He'd forgotten that point.

 

“I'm coming.” he said.

 

But as he tried getting up, he was hit by a dizzy spell and had to lean back against the bed, the nurse helping him sit back down.

 

“uh...”

 

“ _Taemin?”_

 

“... can you come instead?” 

 

There was a moment of silence before he heard what sounded like a car-door being closed.

 

“ _Where are you?”_

 

“The infirmary.” 

 

“ _What? What happened?”_

 

“I fell. It's nothing... just...”

 

“ _I'm coming.”_

 

And the call was cut. Taemin let out a small sigh and slipped his phone back inside his bag. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and the nurse went to open it. On the threshold, Minho  appeared , suit jacket and tie missing with the two top buttons of his dress-shirt popped open.

 

He bowed at the nurse before his gaze trailed over to Taemin, eyes widening at his sight.

 

“Tae...” 

 

In a few strides, he was facing the shorter male, cupping his face into his hands and inspecting his temple where the wound laid under a bandage.

 

“I'm fine,” the raven-head assured the taller male, seizing the man's left wrist with his right hand. “it's not that big of deal.”

 

“How did this happen?”

 

“A few kids were running down the stairs, and well... I was on the way.”

 

Minho frowned. 

 

“Damn brats.” he mumbled under his breath.

 

Taemin hit his chest with his free-hand.

 

“It was an accident.”

 

“Still...”

 

The nurse chuckled slightly at the exchange, effectively catching their attention. Her smile grew – Taemin wondered if her cheeks ever hurt from her smiling so much.

 

“He will still need a few stitches.” the woman said.

 

Minho's frown deepened as he looked back at Taemin.

 

“I thought it was _'nothing'_.” 

 

“I'm fine I told you. Can we go now?”

 

Minho sighed, frown softening as he stepped back and helped Taemin to his feet. The younger moved slowly, fearing another dizzy spell, as he held onto Minho's arm for support. The elder slipped an arm around his waist and seized his bag from the bed. They then proceeded to thank the nurse and walk off the office.

A few minutes later, Minho was helping Taemin into the car before getting on on the driver's side and proceeding to drive off the parking spot.

 

A few minutes of silence downed on them as Minho drove them to the hospital.  W hen the y stop ped at a red light, the older male looked over at his husband, who – he couldn't help but notice – had his hand on his stomach, fingers slowly caressing the surface.

He wasn't sure why the younger had developed that strange habit over the past weeks, but he noticed the gesture seemed to comfort his husband somehow.

 

“Are you alright?” he asked, reaching out a hand that he set on the younger's tight, giving it a small squeeze.

 

Taemin turned his head to look at him, grimacing slightly as he did, the wound on his temple throbbing more now.

 

“Yeah, just a little sore.”

 

Minho looked ahead and noticed the light turned green, he started the car again, hand still set on his husband's tight.

 

“These damn kids really got you, huh?”

 

“Stop calling them like that.” the raven-head chastised, leaning his head against the headset of the seat, feeling tired.

 

Minho sighed but said nothing, reporting his hand back to the steering wheel.

 

A while later, when they had parked in the parking lot of the hospital, Minho helped Taemin off the car and inside the building, guiding the younger to the reception desk to check in. They were then directed to the waiting room before being led by a nurse to a ward a few minutes later.

 

“The doctor will be with you soon.” the nurse said.

 

The couple nodded and the woman left the room. Once more, silence installed itself between them, Taemin sitting on the recliner and Minho on a chair by his side, holding the younger's hand in his.

 

Taemin bit his lower-lip, knowing there was no more room for pushing back the inevitable. He planned on asking the doctor to check on his baby's condition and he knew just doing it without preparing Minho for the news would be too much for the elder, so with a deep breath – that his husband didn't miss, judging by the way his eyes trained on his features as he raised an inquisitive eyebrow –, Taemin squeezed Minho's hand in his.

 

“Minho... I have something to tell you, before the doctor comes.”

 

The man's expression didn't change much, expect for the fact his features now expressed curiosity.

 

“What is it?”

 

Taemin bit at his lower-lip, looking down at his lap.

 

“You know how I've been feeling sick lately...”

 

Minho's brows furrowed slightly.

 

“I thought you'd gotten better?”

 

The younger gulped slightly.

 

“Not really...”

 

As he said that, he didn't add anything after, hand subconsciously going to rest against his stomach.

 

“Love, what it is?” Minho asked, tone gentle as he leaned closer to the younger.

 

Taemin's eyes locked with his husband's dark orbs. He felt a lump forming in his throat.

 

“I... I'm... I'm pregnant.”

 

There were two full minutes of deafening silence after his words, during which Minho just stared back at him, as if the information was struggling to sink in.

 

But Minho didn't have time to react in any way as the doctor pushed the door open and greeted them. Taemin looked over at the man and tried smiling back, although the way Minho's hand slipped off his as the  elder straightened up to greeted the doctor back, sent a wave of sadness through him.

 

The doctor then went on to ask him questions as he examined the wound on Taemin's head before starting to work on it,  all the while trying to reassure him about the risks the fall had on his pregnancy.

As he was done and was putting away his tools, the raven head touched the newly made dressing on his wound with fingertips.

 

“Doctor... is there anyway you could check on my baby?” he asked, trying to ignore as Minho's whole figure seemed to tense at his words.

 

“Of course, if that can help put you at ease.” the middle-aged man replied with a gentle smile. “I'll have a nurse bring in an ultrasound scan.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

The man nodded and left the room.

 

When the man closed the door behind him, Minho rose from his chair, hands on his hips as he turned his back to Taemin.

 

“Minh–”

 

“How long have you known?”

 

The raven-head bite at his lower-lip.

 

“A month.” he answered.

 

Minho let out a huff then, turning back around with a glare in his eyes.

 

“The way you've been touching your stomach at randoms times lately... it's because of that?”

 

Taemin wasn't sure whether “that” referred to his pregnancy or directly to the baby he carried and either way, the words stung him.

 

“I know you're mad but–”

 

“When the hell where you planning on telling me? Hadn't this whole thing happened, would you have even done it now?”

 

Taemin didn't answer to that, because honestly, he didn't know.

 

“That's what I thought.” the older male said, with a dry tone.

 

“Minho...”

 

But the elder simply averted his gaze from him to the door, taking long strides over to it and leaving the room without so much as a word.

 

Taemin watched, tears pooling in his eyes but he quickly blinked them away, trying to keep his breathing in control.

 

A moment later, the doctor was back with a nurse in tow, pushing a little cart with an ultrasound scan on it. 

 

The doctor seemed to notice Minho's absence from the room, but didn't comment on it and Taemin felt thankful for the discretion, not sure he would've been able to come up with a viable excuse to his husband's sudden absence.

 

Once the ultrasound scan was set, the raven-head followed the doctor's instruction to pull his shirt up and the man proceeded to pour some of the cold gel on his lower abdomen, before sliding the transducer over the flat surface smearing the substance over his stomach.

As a fuzzy black and white image appeared on the screen, the doctor proceeded to explain everything he saw to Taemin, reassuring him everything was going fine with the baby despite the fall.

 

And only then did the raven-head really believe the words he'd been told over and over since his fall.

 

He accepted the paper tissue the doctor passed to him  when they were done , cleaning his stomach off the gel.

 

“Just watch out for bleeding or spotting.” the middle-aged man instructed. “Same goes for any unusual pain in your stomach. If you feel or perceive any of these, you come back here immediately. As for the wound on your head, you might feel dizzier than usual, just be careful not to exert yourself too much.”

 

Taemin nodded. “Okay, thank you doctor.”

 

The man smiled at him.

 

“Do you want me to tell a nurse to call your husband back in here or...?”

 

The raven-head shook his head.

 

“No, it's alright. I'll go to him.”

 

The man gave a single nod and Taemin carefully pushed himself off the recliner before biding the man goodbye and leaving the room.

 

As he made his way back to the entrance hall of the hospital, he couldn't shake off the worry eating at him. How would he face Minho? Would the elder even want to talk to him now?

 

Yet all his interrogations came to a halt when he caught sight of his husband sitting on a chair in the waiting room, head leaned back against the wall behind him, eyes closed.

 

Swallowing in dry, the raven-head walked towards the elder, stopping on his tracks just a few inches in front of the other.

 

“Minho?”

 

The man opened his eyes, but their gazes only met for a second before the elder avoided his eyes, pressing his lips in a tight line as he pushed himself up.

 

“I've already paid the consultation. We can go, if you're ready.” the taller male said.

 

“Okay...”

 

And like that, they were off to the car, and then driving back home. The heavy silence between them was driving Taemin crazy and he wanted nothing but to talk to his husband about the baby, know what he really thought but found the words blocked in his throat, discouraged by the distant attitude the elder was keeping.

 

Once they were home, Taemin decided he couldn't hold it in anymore, so as they passed the front door he grabbed Minho's arm, forcing the man to face him.

 

“Say something...” he demanded.

 

“What do you want me to say?” was the dry retort he got.

 

“I don't know... anything! Just... stop acting like that... it's making me crazy...”

 

Minho sighed.

 

“It's not like I have that much of a choice here, is it? Your position about this whole thing is already pretty clear. Just give me time to adjust to it okay?”

 

“You're acting like our baby is some kind of undesirable thing I'm forcing up on you.”

 

“Isn't it?”

 

Taemin felt his eyes pool with tears that he once again, blinked away.

 

“How can you say that?”

 

The taller male took in a deep breath before sighing once more as he ran a hand through his hair.

 

“Forget it.” he said then. “Just... give me time, okay? I'll get used to it.”

 

And with that said, the elder was off to his office, the door being slammed shut in his way in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minho sorts out his problems with being a father.

Ever since Taemin had broken the news to him, Minho hadn't spoken of his husband's pregnancy and had avoided any talk that came even close to it.

All in all, he mostly acted like nothing had changed at all between them. As if there wasn't a child growing within his husband and like he didn't see the way his behavior was affecting the younger.

 

It wasn't that he wanted things to be awkward or that he wanted to hurt Taemin. If only he could chose to feel elated at the idea of being a father and stop thinking about all the cons of having a kid, he knew things would be less strained with his husband.

 

But the truth was that the idea of being a father was  repelling to him.

 

Let's be real, the man he persistently called his father was nothing but a figure in a picture and someone with whom he shared his surname.

After his parents got divorced when he was five, his father became just a stranger with whom, throughout his childhood and teenage years, he'd only got to interact with during holidays, that is... when the man dared even show up to spend some time with him.

The only real moments he'd spent with his father happened after he'd been of age to work with the man in his company and even then, almost everything revolved mainly around work.

 

Even though his mother's second husband, Yongwoon, had tried  fitting in the role for him ; adjusting to that had been hard for the thirteen year-old Minho, coupled with the fact he also had to get used to the idea that said “new father” came into his and his mother's lives, bearing a thirteen year-old son of his own.

 

Although through the years, he'd grown extremely attached to both, and even came to call Yongwoon “dad”, his almost nonexistent relationship with his real father and his perennial research for the man's recognition and approval, made so he had always resisted and never really given a second thought, to accepting Yongwoon as an actual father figure.

 

So, yeah... Minho didn't want kids. Not because he didn't like them – well, maybe a little bit of that too, the little monsters could be a handful, he loved his nephews and niece but only stood them for a very limited amount of time –, but because he simply didn't feel like he'd ever be able to raise a kid, let alone, be a good father.

 

Still, a part of him insisted these were just excuses he was making up to justify his fear of paternity.  But he insisted on ignoring  such thoughts , telling himself such a fear wasn't real and that refusing to have kids was very much justified considering his background.

 

"What's wrong, son?" Yongwoon asked him, cutting the flow of his thoughts.

 

He looked at the older man sitting across from him with an embarrassed expression, conscious he had been spacing out. That was happening way too often those last few days and it would be a lie if he said that people noticing his lack of focus was a surprise.

 

He  was  s i t ting at a table in a restaurant with his step-father and brother, waiting for their food to be served. The two older males had appeared at his office a while ago and invited him to have lunch with them, which the younger had gladly accepted, longing to do something to get his mind off the current situation with his husband.

 

The problem was that the previous week's happenings were still bugging him, even when he was doing his best to stop thinking about them.

 

“You know, I was with Taeminnie the other day... he seemed completely out of it too.” Kibum said, his feline eyes training on his step-brother's features. “Did something happen between you two? Did you have a fight?”

 

“Stop prying, Kibum.” Yongwoon chastised his son, but the younger was having nothing of it.

 

“So?” he insisted at his brother's silence.

 

They had yet to deliver the news to their family and honestly, Minho couldn't be less ecstatic at the perspective.

 

“No–”

 

“Don't you dare give me same the ' _nothing_ ' bullshit your husband served me.”

 

Minho glared at his brother, but when the elder held his gaze, he let out an exasperated sigh before averting his stare.

 

“Son, what's wrong?”

 

Minho pressed his lips in a tight line, resignation settling in.

 

“It's... Taemin he's... he's pregnant.”

 

He couldn't help but think that these words sounded wrong as they rolled off his tongue and he bite at the inside of his cheek, suddenly feeling guilty for such a thought.

 

“He's what?!” Kibum exclaimed, eyes wide.

 

Yongwoon let out a huffed chuckled.

 

“Really? Congratulations!” the man's smile had the younger male frowning a little, put-off by his step-father's enthusiasm.

 

“Wait a minute.” Kibum spoke up, a frown on his features as his expert eyes observed his brother's body language and he didn't like what he saw. “You just answered to a _“what's wrong”_ question that you're husband's expecting. What the hell Minho?”

 

The younger opened his mouth but no sound came out. Was his brother really going to start analyzing hi m ?

 

“I mean... come on, aren't you guys supposed to be happy about this? Taemin looked pretty down the other day... and you look just... ecstatic.”

 

The sarcasm was clear in the last part of the sentence and Minho pressed his lips shut, averting his gaze to the table in front of him, already expecting where this was going.

 

"Did something happen? Is something wrong with the pregnancy?"

 

He wanted to reply that the pregnancy in itself was wrong, that it was the odd factor messing everything up. But he was too conscious of both how unreasonable and insensitive his thoughts were.

It was his own kid he was thinking about in such a way and, although the whole concept of a child he'd be calling his own was hard to wrap his mind around, he couldn't ignore the guilt that came with such thoughts.

 

"Nothing's wrong..." he said instead, playing with his glass of water.

 

" Stop with the bullshit Minho ." Kibum reiterated.

 

"What your brother  means, is that we're worried about you. You don't look very happy." Yongwoon intervened, throwing a reprimanding look at Kibum who just let out a displeased humph.

 

Minho sighed.

 

"We are dad..." he paused. " _He_ is at least."

 

The last part was said in a lower tone, as he kept his gaze on his glass, seemingly fascinated by it.

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kibum asked, with a raised eye-brow.

 

Minho gulped slightly.

 

"I... I don't know..." he admitted at last. "It took us by surprise and... having a kid is just..."

 

He sighed once more.

 

"Let's be honest... I never wanted any so–"

 

"Please, tell me you didn't tell Taeminnie that, when he told you about the baby..."

 

Minho looked weirdly at his brother.

 

"What? No... we had that talk a while ago... the point is, he knew it before. I'm guessing that's why he kept it from me until that day, when he fell on the stairs."

 

The memory was recalled with bitterness and his words came out tinted as such  and  Kibum scoffed in disbelief  at that.

 

"I can't believe you'd even tell him something like that." The older male said with a tone of accusation. "What kind of husband are you? You should be supportive of him, not making him feel like he has to hide these kinds of things from you!"

 

Minho glared at his brother but didn't find any retort. He knew the elder was right and it made him feel even worse with himself.

 

He also knew Kibum was biased. He was always siding with Taemin in everything, not to mention the fact he was himself father of a three year-old cute little girl – Minho admitted he was completely smitten over his adorable niece, but that didn't change the fact being a father himself sucked.

The point was, he knew no matter what he said about that  situation that went against Kibum's view of things, would be met with disapproval from the elder.

 

"You know what mom would say if she heard you say something like that?” Kibum asked.

 

Minho huffed with a small wry smile.

 

“I guess it's a good thing that she's not here to hear that, then.”

 

Yongwoon chuckled at that. “Indeed.”

 

The younger of the three trained his gaze back to his step-father and licked his  dry lips before looking down at his glass again. He knew the man was silently waiting for him to explain his reasons for being so against the idea of having a kid. Even though the man didn't say anything, Minho could see the questioning in his eyes.

 

"It's all just so complicated..." he finally said.

 

"Isn't everything about becoming a parent complicated? It's a big step in one's life," Yongwoon said, a gentle smile stretching his lips. "I would know... you two have been a handful."

 

"You're not helping, dad." Kibum interjected, leaning back against his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

 

"What I'm trying to say is..." Yongwoon spoke again, ignoring his son's words. "It's normal to be scared–”

 

“I'm not scared.” Minho protested although they could all see through his lie.

 

“ _but_ ” Yongwoon went on, undisturbed by the younger's interruption. “you still have a few months to get used to the idea... you have the right to be reticent, but don't forget Taemin's probably as surprised and scared as you are.”

 

“And he's the one whose body is going through all the changes." Kibum added, throwing his brother a pointed glare. “He's the one who has to deal with the pain, nausea and all the crap you alpha males can't understand. Not to mention, he's probably also feeling like hell 'cause you're being a dick.”

 

“I get it okay?!” Minho snapped at his brother, a glare of his own directed at the elder as gripped tightly at the glass of water in front of him. “I'm wrong! I should be all sunshine and rainbows about this whole thing, but the fact is, I'm not... I can't...”

 

“You can't or _don't want to_?”

 

“Boys.” Yongwoon spoke up, in a stern voice, knowing that from there the two were most probably going to start bickering.

 

The two younger males stopped talking at their father's reprehension and before either could come up with anything else to say, a waiter came with the food and served them.

 

Once the man was gone, Minho just stared at his plate, not really feeling like eating anymore, neither did he want to keep on that conversation. And the two older males seemed to get that point as they didn't press on the matter, although Kibum tried, being promptly stopped by Yongwoon as the man diverted the conversion to something else.

 

Minho was thankful for his step-father's efforts. The man never ceased to try and make things less difficult for others – which made Minho question who between the two older males was the real psychologist, seeing as Kibum was way too blunt and lacked delicacy with his words.

 

As they were parting after lunch, Yongwoon smiled at him slightly, reaching up to mess his hair – much like he did when Minho was a child and not at least three inches taller than him.

 

“You'll be fine, son. I'm sure whatever is preventing you from enjoying that moment with Taemin, can be sorted out. Just don't wait the last second to start working on it. You know I'm here if you need to talk.”

 

Minho nodded slightly, a small smile stretching his lips.

 

“Thanks dad.”

 

Kibum punched him lightly on the side.

 

“This talk is not over.” he warned.

 

Minho just rolled his eyes at the short male's words before bidding the two older males goodbye.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

Over a month had gone by since his talk with his step-father and Kibum and despite Yongwoon's advice, Minho hadn't found it in himself to really work at chasing the ghosts he'd managed to lock away from his consciousness.

Somehow, a part of him was convinced it would be useless and most of all, it had also convinced him having a kid was just a way to go messing with these ghosts.  But  as his brother had claimed, he hadn't let the matter drop as easily.

 

After his breaking of the news to his step-father and brother, soon enough their whole family knew about Taemin's pregnancy and to say everyone seemed to be overly enthusiastic about the whole thing was an understatement.

 

He had lost count of the  _“it was about time”_ comments they'd received and that kind of reaction had done nothing to help his view of the whole situation.

He truly didn't understand what there was to be happy about a little parasite that was sucking his husband's energy and would, for the rest of their lives, depend on how much care and love it was showered with. Honestly,  aside from Taemin, he didn't feel  _capable_ to love another being to such extent .

 

Even more so, when said being's existence was completely unplanned and undesired by both him and his husband.

And although the younger male seemed to have quickly grown attached to the idea, he was convinced that had solely to do with the fact Taemin was the pregnant one. But that didn't change the fact that child had not been wanted.

 

It was like the story was repeating itself – okay, so  _maybe_ his logic was messed up by his even more screwed up emotions – but wasn't that exactly what had happened with his own father? Why the man had always avoided spending time with him and  never act ed like a father  to him ? Because he had been unplanned?

 

His parents had only gotten married in the first place, because his mother had gotten pregnant and his grand parents had forced them to be get married. That led to a divorced five years later, after which his father had gone MIA for months.

As a child, Minho didn't understand why the man had left home and growing up, he'd even come to question whether the man even loved him – albeit, he hadn't gotten a defined answer to that even to that day –.

When Donghyuk had remarried when Minho was eleven and had another son three years later, things seemed to fall in place for him.

 

It would be a lie to say he wasn't jealous of his half-brother, but it would also be untrue if he said he didn't get what motivated his father to be to Sehun what he had never been to him.

His baby brother was loved and cared for by their father because he had been  _planned_ , he had been _wanted_ . While Minho was just the child Donghyuk had never really wanted, but had had to take responsibility for anyway.

 

Now, let's no misunderstand,  Minho was convinced he was different from his father in many aspects, but a part of him just  _knew_ that in fatherhood, he would be the same as Donghyuk had been to him. He didn't want kids, because he didn't feel like he could love them, and in consequence he didn't want his children to go through the same pain and questioning Donghyuk had put him through.

 

The problem was, he had no idea how to put that into words and explain himself to Taemin to try to at least make the younger understand his stance on the matter. Instead, he resorted to pretending nothing changed. He'd treat Taemin the same, the kisses, hugs, smiles, talks. Yet, as soon as the younger would try to bring up the topic of his pregnancy, Minho would close himself up or simply change the subject, all the while pretending like he didn't notice how much he was paining the younger and trying to ignore the heartache he was inflicting to himself.

 

With a sigh, he pushed the front door of their apartment open,  not bothering to turn on the lights as he closed the door behind him and took off his shoes, before making his way inside. He set his brief-case on the small chest in the entrance hall and walk ed further into the loft , his steps almost inaudible against the wooden flooring.

 

As he passed by the door to the living-room he suddenly came to a stop, surprised to hear the soft sound of the TV. As he peeked inside, he saw Taemin asleep on the couch.

However what really caught his attention in the scene, was the way the younger's shirt was rolled up, as he slept with a hand resting on the slight swell of his seventeen weeks belly.

 

Even if he was in the midst of his self-questioning, self-loathing – or whatever one wished to call it – Minho would be lying if he pretended he hadn't paid attention to the physical changes his husband had been going through since the start of this whole situation. Still, the sight he was being confronted to at that moment, stirred something inside of him. He wasn't sure what or why it had, but it did and he had yet to decide whether he liked the sensation.

 

With light steps, he walked inside the room, turning the TV off on his way to his husband, only stopping when he was in front of the couch, where he proceeded to kneel and reach out a hand to brush a few stray raven hairs off his husband's face.

 

Watching the younger's features had always been a fascinating thing to him. Sometimes, when he would come back from work late – like that day – and would find his husband fast asleep, he'd just lay by his side and watch him in his slumber, admiring every little feature that made the raven-head so much more perfect in his eyes.

 

Yet right then, fatigue was craved into the younger male's face, if the small dark circles under his eyes and creases between his brows were of anything to go by.

 

A little voice in the back of his head wondered whether his stance on the younger's pregnancy was the cause of that. If  _he_ was the one causing that.

 

Biting at the inside of his lower-lip, he brushed the thoughts off and let his eyes trail down to the younger's abdomen, his fascination seeming to increase at the close up view of the roundness of the raven-head's belly.

He stared at it for a moment and without thinking it through, slowly brought a hand towards it, fingers slightly brushing the extended flesh.

As if the gesture had given him a little more confidence, he let his fingers settle on Taemin's stomach, applying just a little more pressure, a weird bubbling sensation slowly filling his chest. Yet, he was quickly startled off his fascination when he felt Taemin stir in his sleep.

 

He promptly retrieved his hand then, looking at his husband's sleeping face in surprise and after making sure the younger hadn't woken up, he sucked up a small breath.

Doing his best to ignore the strange things he felt, he got to his feet before bending down and slipping an arm under the younger's knees and the other, under the smaller one's back, careful not to disturb his sleep.

 

As he heaved the other up, he felt the younger snuggling a little closer to his chest and a small smile played on his lips, yet guilt sipped into him as he watched his husband's face relax, cheek against his torso. He loved Taemin so much and despite that, couldn't find it in himself to work on his problems and accept the current situation, that he knew would make his husband happy.

 

When his mother had visited them upon hearing the news, she had referred to the baby they were expecting as a blessing and Minho remembered how he'd thought the words to be an exaggeration then, even though the voice in the back of his head had disagreed with his thoughts. Told him that that child was a good thing and not a burden as he'd convinced himself it was, way before his husband even got pregnant.

 

The thoughts had him letting out an umpteenth sight before he slowly walked to their bedroom and carefully set the sleeping raven-head on their bed.

 

Just as he was straightening up, Taemin stirred awake, eyes fluttering open.

 

"...nho?" He spoke in a slumbering voice, as he brought a hand to brush the sleep off his eyes. "You're home..."

 

The elder smoothed Taemin's hair back, leaning in to peck his forehead.

 

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up." He said against the younger's skin.

 

" _'s_ alright..." Taemin pulled his shirt down and adjusted his position on the bed, so he was now laying on his side. "If you're hungry, dinner's in the micro-wave."

 

Minho pulled back and smile down at the younger. “Okay.”

 

And with that, he was pulling the covers over the raven-head's body and walking out of the room.

 

In the kitchen, as he waited for his meal to warm up in the micro-wave, he leaned back against the island counter, replaying in his head a conversation he'd had with Kibum a few days ago. His step-brother had made it his mission to make him question his stance on that situation and Minho couldn't say the elder wasn't doing a good job at it, although a part of him was still putting some resistance to resigning to the older male's wise words.

 

The beeping of the micro-wave snapped him out of his memories and he jolted slightly, before straightening up and going to take his meal from the device.

 

As he sat down on a stool by the island counter and started eating, he couldn't help but to think back to what Kibum had told him. The older male hadn't ceased stressing on the fact most people experienced doubt and fear in the face of having a kid.

And although that wasn't much of a discovery for him, he wondered whether he was making this a bigger deal than it should be. After all, he wasn't the only one going through this and Kibum had made sure he didn't neglect the struggles Taemin was probably going through, which made him feel as even more of a jerk.

Not to mention his brother always made sure to press on the right buttons – blame that on the shrink he was – to make Minho reflect even deeper into his real reasons to be against that whole situation.

 

He felt like a coward and an idiot. Despite having long rebelled against his father and made sure Donghyuk understood he was not a tool for the man's every desire, in that situation, he was still letting him rule his life and decisions. Even if it was indirectly.

 

Up until then, contrary to what he'd told his husband, he hadn't really tried getting used to the idea of having a kid, instead he'd been incessantly – and stubbornly – enhancing his negative opinion of the matter.

But the happenings since their relatives discovery of the impending addition to their family, Taemin's increasing forlornness and Kibum being his sassy, ever-nagging and shrink-self, had him thinking more and more, doubts about the validity of his position slowly cracking the shell he'd built around himself.

More often than not, he'd found himself thinking he should actually try doing something about it, not only for his marriage's sake, but for the innocent life that would soon be in the midst of it all.

 

These thoughts never ceased to surprise him as he took notice of how seriously he was considering the baby in that equation. He had no idea when it had started sounding right.

It was a weird feeling, to think that in a few months, he'd be responsible for a tiny life that he had created with Taemin and even if the apprehension at the idea was still very much present, he found himself wondering what it would all be like if only he stopped resisting.

 

“ _You're ruminating about this way too much, Ming.”_ Kibum had told him during one of their talks. _“Why don't you just try and take this for what it is?_ A good thing. _When you do that, you'll see it's not that bad and scary.”_

 

He wanted to say it was easier said than done, but a part of him wanted to believe his brother's words weren't so wrong.

 

He looked down at his hand, recalling how he'd felt when he'd touched Taemin's belly. It was disturbing really, how such ambivalent emotions could cohabit in him. The fear and reticence about the kid and at the same time, anticipation and want.

 

 _Want_. That was something new...

 

Balling his hand into a fist, he took in a deep breath before letting it out in a huffed, disbelieving chuckle. Maybe if only he stopped rejecting the idea... if he followed Kibum's advice...

 

Later, when he went to bed, he lay on his side and  spooned Taemin's body, pressing his chest against the raven head's warm bac k under the covers. 

He buried his nose into his husband's hair, breathing in his scent as the hand he had on the younger's waist, hesitated just a little before sliding towards the shorter male's front, going to rest on the swell of his stomach. 

The weird feeling came back into his chest then, when his palm rested on the round surface, cupping it perfectly.

 

It felt better than he'd expected it to be and he found himself thinking he could get used to the warm sensation.

 

“H-hyung?” Taemin's hoarse voice called as he was once again woken up. “What are you–”

 

“Shhh... just sleep, love...”

 

Minho didn't want to talk about it, it was hard enough putting his thoughts in order, he wasn't sure he was able to put them into words just yet, let alone explain his sudden urge to make that kind of contact with his husband.

 

“You should rest.” he added, knowing Taemin was still awake and conscious the raven-head was probably wondering about his uncommon behavior.

 

The younger didn't say however. Instead, just pressed himself closer to the elder's body, his own hand going to rest upon Minho's bigger one over his belly, as a small smile stretched his lips, before he slowly let sleep overtake his consciousness again.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

Taemin didn't really know what had changed Minho's mind, but he wasn't about to complain. Although the changes of the last weeks had been subtle, he couldn't suppress the joy it brought him.

Minho seemed less distant than he had been since he'd learned of his pregnancy and was also more attentive to small details.

Even though he still seemed reticent about the whole thing, the elder didn't try to avoid talks about the baby when they did come up, instead he'd show a timid interest or simply pay attention to what Taemin had to say.

 

The younger had also caught the elder staring at his growing bump in more than one occasion, which he found endearing because as soon as the older male would notice what he was doing, he would avert his gaze with an embarrassed expression adorning his features, as he tried going back to whatever he had been doing before.

Taemin would have felt self-conscious about it if it weren't for the utter fascination in his husband's eyes when he looked at him or his bump.

At night, as they slept, he would often feel Minho brush a hand over his stomach, or simply rest a palm over it.

 

Taemin didn't understand what had made his husband open up more to the idea but he was just content with how it was going. Even though a part of him still feared Minho was forcing himself; the subtle touches – some of which Minho didn't even seem to be conscious of – and timid caring assured him that the elder was really getting used to the idea. Or so he hoped.

 

A chuckle cut his flow of thoughts and he looked over at Minho who was standing by the entrance of the living-room with two mugs of tea in hands.

 

“What are you daydreaming about?”

 

Taemin smiled and shook his head slightly for an answer, as the elder walked in and passed him a mug before sitting by his side on the couch. The elder then seized the TV's remote control and started zapping a few channels, in search of something interesting enough to watch.

 

The raven head seized the mug with two hands and brought it towards his mouth, blowing on the hot liquid, watching his husband purse his lips in discontent as he found nothing on TV. He bit at his lower-lip, trying to come to terms with the question in his mind.

 

“Minho?”

 

The elder looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

 

“I was wondering...” the younger lowered his mug, forearms resting on his lap. “I have an appointment at the hospital on Thursday... The doctor said that we'll probably be able to know the gender of the baby... would you like to come with me?”

 

Minho's expression seemed to freeze for a moment, as did his finger on the remote control and Taemin instantly deflated. Maybe he was rushing things for the elder?

 

"Uh... okay..." the reply was nearly inaudible and Taemin almost missed it.

 

"... really? I mean... if you don't want to, I'll understand. I don't want you to feel pressured into doing this and–"

 

Minho shook his head, smiling at him as he set the remote control aside and reached out, taking the raven head's mug from him and setting both cups on the coffee table before scouting closer, sliding an arm behind the younger and pulling him closer.

 

"It's okay, I want to." As he said that, he leaned in and put a chaste kiss on the raven head's lips.

 

Taemin smiled back as Minho pulled away and snuggled closer, bringing his legs to rest on the couch, so he was now half-laying on his husband, head on the elder's chest and both arms around the bigger male.

 

Minho let his hand trail over the younger' back, holding him closer as they fell into a comfortable silence.

Yet their position soon grew uncomfortable for Taemin's back and the younger squirmed, trying to find a better position, a small grunt leaving his lips.

 

"Are you alright?" Minho asked as the younger sat straight with a little frown.

 

Taemin smiled embarrassed.

 

"Yeah... I guess there's so much my back can take now..."

 

As he said that, he let a hand trail to his twenty weeks-old bump, Minho's eyes following the gesture as if instantly mesmerized.

 

"Can you feel it move yet?"

 

The question caught both of them by surprise and Minho mentally scolded himself for losing control over his own mouth.

 

Taemin on the other hand just served him a closed mouthed smile, leaning back against the couch and sitting leg-crossed on it.

 

"The doctor said I should feel it soon, but for now it's just fluttering." He replied.

 

"Fluttering?"

 

Taemin pursed his lips and shrugged slightly.

 

"That's how the doctor called it... it's a weird sensation... like there are butterflies in my stomach."

 

Minho titled his head to the side, trying to imagine it and letting a frown break onto his features upon failure.

 

"Hyung?"

 

"Hm?"

 

"Are you really okay with this?" The question was uttered in a small, unsure tone.

 

He wasn't looking at the elder when he spoke, choosing instead to stare at the hand resting on his belly.

 

In all honesty, he was afraid of the answer. He didn't want Minho to tell him he wasn't fine with the pregnancy, but he didn't want the elder to pretend he was, either.

It wasn't so much for himself he was worried about, but his baby. He didn't want his child growing up knowing one of its fathers didn't want it to exist.

 

Minho looked at him and let a small forlorn smile stretch the right corner of his lips as he brought a big hand to rest over his husband's on his belly.

Taemin looked at Minho in surprise, noting the far off look on the taller male's eyes. He slowly slipped his hand from under the other's and placed it over the elder's, letting Minho's warm palm touch his stomach.

 

"I wasn't..."  the older male said  at last , looking down at his hand, caressing the belly. "But... Kibum said many things that got me thinking...  and notably that I was  _ruminating_ ..."

 

Taemin let out a small huffed chuckle. His brother-in-law often used a jargon that sometimes made it hard to understand what he meant to say.

 

"Anyways... it got me thinking of what I was ruminating about and... I came to the conclusion I was thinking too much about my father."

 

The raven-head let out a small breath, squeezing his husband's hand slightly.

 

He knew that, even though Minho didn't talk much about his relationship with Donghyuk, it didn't mean said relationship didn't hurt the elder anymore.

 

Mr. Choi had always been a distant man. As far as Taemin could remember, he had never been a part of his son's life and when he did appear, he was always demanding of Minho's academic results but didn't take interest in anything else.

 

As if all of that wasn't enough, Donghyuk had remarried when Minho turned eleven, with a woman over ten years younger than him and had four years later, had a son with her.

And although Minho had grown attached to his younger brother, Taemin knew that being conscious his father was doing to his little brother, everything he had never done to him, had never sat well with his husband.

 

Despite that, the elder had long lived for nothing else but to reach Mr. Choi's expectations, hoping the man would see him as more than just an heir. But when his efforts had only resulted in the man trying to marry him off to the heiress of one of his business partners, Minho had finally rebelled against him for the first time, making it clear to the man he wasn't about to let him dictate his life despite wanting recognition.

 

When later on, Donghyuk had expressed his will for his son to succeed him as head of his company despite the younger's refusal to abide to the arranged marriage, Minho had thought things between him and his father could actually get better, only to be disappointed when the man had kept their relationship strictly professional.

 

Taemin wasn't sure exactly how the man came to be in Minho's reticence about his pregnancy, but he was starting to have an idea of it.

 

"I thought that not having kids would be optimal to avoid repeating the pattern, you know? I don't really have the best father figure as a reference and... I'll be honest, the responsibility is too much.”

 

The raven-head bite at his lower-lip, not sure how to feel about these words.

 

“But I got you pregnant anyway... and... I was caught completely off guard.” Minho retrieved his hand and put it on his lap, staring at it intently. “It took me a while to even digest the idea.”

 

He then adjusted his position to sit sideways, prodding his elbow on the back of the couch, and leaning his head against his fist, looking at his husband with a small smile.

 

“But despite everything... not being ready or not wanting it initially, I don't want our kid to go through what I did, Tae... and I'm not sure I can do a better job than my father did with me... but, I'm willing to try."

 

The raven-head smiled fondly at that, reaching forward and wrapping his arms around the taller male's neck, burying his nose at the base of it, Minho promptly returning the hug.

 

"Mr. Choi was not a father to you, hyung." Taemin said against the elder's skin, feeling Minho tense slightly. "But, you did have a good father figure in your life... or are you forgetting about your dad? If anything, you'll be to our baby as good of a father as uncle Yongwoon is to you.”

 

Minho furrowed his brows slightly at that. Through all his self-loathing about a father that never truly paid attention to him, he'd neglected the man who had actually raised him.

 

The ironical situation had him huffing slightly in disbelief.

 

“What is it?” Taemin questioned, trying to pull away, only for his husband to hold him tighter.

 

“Nothing, just..” Minho mumbled, letting out a small sigh. “I'm really an idiot.”

 

Taemin frowned, pulling back just slightly so he could look at the elder' face.

 

“What...?”

 

Minho loosened his grip on the younger before leaning his forehead on his husband's and closing his eyes.

 

“I've been so caught up on my self-pitying, giving myself reasons not to be excited about the baby... Donghyuk kept coming to my mind every time I thought about it... how him being so absent had affected me, how I've always yearned for his recognition... how loving the baby would be impossible because I didn't know what a loving father was... but I did know all of that, didn't I? Dad, he...”

 

The elder exhaled and Taemin smiled slightly, bringing up at hand to cup Minho's cheek.

 

“He's always been there for you, that's why you neglected him.” the raven-head said. “Hard to pay attention to what makes us happy when we're so caught up on what hurts.”

 

“I guess... I never really gave dad the credit he deserves...” Minho admitted, before letting out a small chuckle. “I'm such an idiot.”

 

“You are.” Taemin agreed with a small smile that flattered slightly. “You should've told me this had been bugging you... instead of beating yourself up about it. I could've helped you.”

 

“I know.” the elder said, leaning into the palm against his cheek. “I'm so sorry... for everything...”

 

The raven-head smiled once more, although it was still a little forced as he put a small kiss on the tip of the elder's nose.

 

“You better.” he said as he moved again to bury his nose on the crook of Minho's neck. “That's what you get for not talking to me.”

 

This time, his voice came out with a trembling as tears welled in his eyes. For the last three months, he had been eaten by worry and fear that his husband would leave him because he was pregnant, and to finally hear the elder give him his reasons for being so distant and being reassured Minho was not so against the idea, filled him with a relief he could barely contain.

 

Minho frowned as he heard his husband's voice and felt humidity against his skin.

 

“Hey... don't cry, I'm so sorry...” he squeezed the younger into his arms, fingers caressing the younger's sides soothingly. “I promise I'll be more outspoken.”

 

Taemin sniffled, feeling silly for crying so easily, but still unable to stop the tears.

 

“Love, please...”

 

Taemin whined softly against his neck.

 

“I was trying to be the strong one here.”

 

Minho let out a small chuckle, before holding the younger a little tighter in his arms.

 

“I'm supposed to be the one comforting you... not the other way around.”

 

“I didn't marry you expecting you'd always be the one to give reassurance.” a tearful voice answered him. “I'm pretty sure I signed up for a two-way relationship.”

 

Taemin pulled away and tried smiling at his husband. The elder returned the gesture as he cupped his face, thumbs wiping the tear strained cheeks of his lover before he put a chaste kiss on the younger's lips.

 

“I love you.” Minho said.

 

Taemin blinked a little to get rid of the remaining tears.

 

“That makes two of us.” he replied, mustering up a smirk.

 

Minho huffed playfully. “Don't ruin the moment.”

 

Taemin only chuckled, leaning in to rest his head on the elder's shoulder, arms sliding down to wrap around the elder's waist.

 

“I love you too.” he said after a moment. “And it's because of that, that I'm sure we'll work this out. Besides, I don't think that fatherly reference it completely necessary here, we'll both be learning how to take care of our kid and we'll both make mistakes, but we'll also make rights. What really matters is to show our baby we're here for them, that we love them.”

 

Minho just hummed his agreement and silence followed as they stayed in that position, until Taemin's back started aching again and the younger pulled away with a small grimace, leaning back against the couch. Minho chuckled, but said nothing, instead he took their mugs of cooling tea from the coffee table and passed Taemin his own. The younger seized it with a small “ _thanks_ ”, and after taking a small sip, looked back at his husband with his trade-mark puppy eyes that were only enhanced by his humid eyelashes.

 

"Min..."

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Can we order a pizza?"

 

The elder rose an eyebrow at that. Taemin hadn't eaten pizza since he was fourteen, after his younger sister, Yeri, had gotten sick upon eating some and had thrown up all over him. Since then, Taemin had refused to eat anything even remotely close to a pizza.

 

"Are... you sure?"

 

"I've been craving it since this morning..."

 

The elder chuckled at that.

 

"Okay."

 

Minho never thought he'd see such a delighted gleam in his husband's eyes at the perspective of eating pizza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed ^^ thank you for leaving kudos!


	3. Three

Thursday rolled in faster than Minho imagined and before he knew it, he was in the waiting room of the hospital with his husband, waiting for the younger to be called in for the check up.

 

Things between them had been considerably lighter and easier since Minho had come forward with his worries.

 

It was like they were getting back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be, with Taemin's pregnancy more and more evident and the latent nervousness and apprehension that still manifested themselves within Minho from time to time.

It wasn't like he could actually expect things to work themselves out just because he had put his fears and concerns into words, but he would be lying if he said he hadn't hoped as much.

 

Just because he had started coming to terms with his husband's pregnancy, it didn't stop him from constantly thinking about the cons of that whole situation from time to time; telling himself he couldn't do it, that it was a mistake and that Taemin and their child would be better off without him and his messed up mind.

His new acquired daydreaming seemed to have taken a whole new place into his daily life and sometimes, when he came back to himself, he would find Taemin staring at him with a questioning gaze. At those times, he would try to laugh it off, not to worry the younger, but obviously such scheme had soon ceased working and Taemin would squint his eyes at him and question his behavior.

 

“ _I'm supposed to be the one suffering from pregnancy brain.”_ the raven-head had said once, with an unimpressed gaze, when Minho had tried avoiding the talk with the lame excuse of not having been thinking about anything.

 

The elder had laughed then, apologizing and kissing the pout off his husband's lips. Unfortunately, freaking out was something he barely had any control over.

 

“I'm going to slap you.” Taemin's voice broke the train of his thoughts.

 

He looked at the younger with a sheepish smile.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Don't give me this bullshit.” the raven-head scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. “My back's killing me and the last thing I need right now is you spacing out to worry-land.”

 

Minho grimaced slightly, before reaching out a hand that he slipped behind Taemin and set against his lower-back, pressing on random spots with his fingers.

 

That caused the younger to close his eyes and let out a small pleased grunt, reassuring him he was doing well.

 

“A little higher.” the raven-head said, letting his arms fall onto his lap, so he was now cradling his belly as Minho moved his fingers as instructed. “Yeah, right there...”

 

Minho smiled and threw a look around them, just to make sure their little display wouldn't be frowned upon by anyone, but it seemed the only two other people in the room seemed to be too preoccupied in their own world to take notice of them.

 

“Am I forgiven?” he asked after a moment.

 

“Not yet, keep working.”

 

Minho snorted but wasn't given the chance to reply as a woman's voice called for Taemin's name. The raven-head opened his eyes and looked at the nurse standing a few feet away from them, answering her. Minho immediately stopped his ministrations, feeling his cheeks heat up from embarrassment as he crossed gazes with the nurse's amused one.

 

Clearing his throat slightly, he gave a small push to his husband's back to help him stand.

 

“Please, follow me.” the woman said and they both started walking behind the nurse.

 

As they entered a room, the woman indicated the bed for Taemin to sit on and then proceeded to take his vitals, draw two little tubes of blood and ask questions about the flow of the raven-head's pregnancy. Taemin answered the questions without a hitch, puzzling Minho a little more at each of them as he discovered a few aspects to his husband's pregnancy he hadn't taken notice of before.

 

“Alright, everything seems to be going fine.” the nurse said, writing a few things down on the patient chart she held. “Do you have any question, Taemin?”

 

The younger shook his head.

 

“Okay. If you think of anything, the doctor will answer you. She should be in a few.” the nurse nodded at them before collecting the two tubes of blood. “I'll be taking these to be tested now, if you'd excuse me.”

 

And she went for the door.

 

As they were left alone, Taemin relaxed back against the bed that was angled in a sitting position and rested a hand over his belly.

 

Minho sat sideways on the bed as well, and started questioning his husband on the proceedings of the check up, until there was a knock on the door before the doctor – a woman in her forties, with jet black hair gathered into a bun on the top of her head and her white coat hugging her petite frame – came in with the patient chart the nurse had probably handed to her on her way.

The eldest of the male rose from his position on the bed and greeted the woman as Taemin made the introductions. Minho didn't miss the two seconds of surprise the woman showed at discovering who he was and he felt slightly ashamed at that.

 

Obviously, she had taken notice of his absence for the previous check ups and hadn't expected that day to be any different.

 

The doctor flipped through the chart for a few seconds before smiling at the couple.

 

“You're doing well, as I can see here.” she said. “How about we check the little one?”

 

“Gladly.” Taemin replied as the woman let out a small chuckle and started fiddling with the ultrasound machine.

 

After a minute or two, she was brandishing a tube in her hand as she instructed Taemin to lift his shirt. The raven-head did as told and Minho couldn't help but stare at the perfect curve of his husband's swollen abdomen.

 

“As you know, it's going to be cold.” the woman said.

 

Taemin just nodded and pressed his lips in a tight line as the freezing gel was poured onto his stomach. The doctor then took the transducer and started sliding it over the younger's belly, the ultrasound screen coming to life and showing the black and white image of a baby.

 

“If we're lucky, we'll be able to know the gender.” the woman said. “Do you want to know it?”

 

“Yes.” both male chorused.

 

The woman smiled. And suddenly a loud and fast _woosh woosh_ sound filled the air and Minho jolted slightly in surprise.

 

Of course, he had no trouble identifying what the sound was, still his mouth spoke on its own, as if to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

 

“What's that?”

 

“It's your baby's heartbeat.”

 

Minho held his breath for a moment, relishing in the fast paced and strong sound of the baby's heartbeat, wondering how it was possible for it to have such an awing effect on him. Taemin reached out and seize his hand, squeezing it slightly, with the tiniest of smiles playing on his lips.

 

The woman kept sliding the transducer on Taemin's belly for a while and finally let out what sounded like a displeased hum.

 

“Is something wrong doctor?” Taemin asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

 

The woman shook her head.

 

“No, but it looks like your baby's being shy.” she said and then pointed at the screen where the very distinctive image of baby with legs crossed could be seen. “If they don't uncross the legs, we can't see if it's a boy or a girl, I'm sorry.”

 

"Oh..."

 

"Looks like the secret will be kept a little longer, at least until our next appointment." The doctor said, setting the transducer back on its place and pressing a few buttons on the machine, before it started printing out something.

 

She seized the paper the device spilled and handed it to them, together with a few tissues for Taemin to clean himself. The raven-head passed the ultrasound picture to Minho as he proceeded to clean his abdomen.

 

"Other than that, everything seems to be going well. Is anything bothering you, other than the back pains you reported to the nurse?”

 

“Not really... I'm just glad the nausea isn't such a big part of my days anymore.” Taemin replied with a small grimace.

 

The doctor chuckled. “That's great. If you have any questions, you know where to call.”

 

Taemin dropped his shirt back into place and pushed himself up.

 

“You can go to the front desk to schedule our next appointment, see you next month!” the doctor said.

 

Minho stared at the ultrasound picture all the way back to the car, fascinated by the greyish image of their baby.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

“Are you disappointed?” Minho asked, on the ride back home.

 

Taemin looked over at the older male with a raised eyebrow.

 

“About what?”

 

“Not knowing if the baby's a boy or a girl.” the elder supplied.

 

The raven-head pouted, framing his twenty weeks belly with both hands.

 

“Kind of... I guess... I'd like to be able to refer to our kid as he or she... rather than 'the baby', 'it' or 'them'...”

 

Minho hummed thoughtfully and slowly an idea formed in his head.

 

“We can still find them a nickname, like the one Kibum and Jonghyun hyung had for Yeri.” he suggested, keeping his gaze on the road, but seeing from the corner of his eye as Taemin turned his head towards him.

 

“Of course!” the younger exclaimed and then deflated. “Like what though?”

 

“What about... _Surprise_?” Minho said, a smirk on his lips.

 

Taemin made an incredulous grimace.

 

“It's ugly... and unoriginal.”

 

“It applies well, though.”

 

Taemin huffed but didn't add anything, instead trying to dig his mind for anything good enough to call his baby. But his attention went elsewhere as he looked out the window and his eyes trained on the sign of the _Pizzeria d'Buzza_ , they were passing by.

 

“Hyung,” he called. “let's stop for pizza!”

 

“What?!”

 

Minho side-glanced at his husband only to see the straighter expression he had ever seen on the younger's face.

 

“It's four in the afternoon.” he told the raven-head, in futile hopes to dissuade the younger.

 

“I need pizza.”

 

“Are you trying to compensate for all those years you haven't eaten that?”

 

Taemin glared at his husband, but a smile quickly broke onto his features as Minho took a detour to drive back towards the pizzeria they had just passed by.

 

“It's your kid who's requiring it.” he said.

 

“Then we'll call them Pizza.”

 

“Do that, and I'll make sure it's the only thing you'll eat until the baby's thirty.”

 

Minho grimaced, hoping deeply for Taemin's aversion for the Italian dish to come back full force when the whole pregnancy ordeal was over.

 

Once they were parked and the both of them walked into the pizzeria, they were soon escorted to a table by a waiter. Once their order was placed, Minho couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he watched his husband lick his lips, seemingly already being able to taste the food.

 

“What are you laughing about?” the raven-head asked, leaning back against his seat.

 

“Nothing.” the elder eluded, looking away from the younger.

 

Yet the smile he wore quickly morphed into a closed expression when his eyes met the man who had just entered the pizzeria.

 

It seemed he wasn't the only one to notice the other as, a few seconds were enough for the older man to lock gazes with him. A surprised expression appeared on his face and he gave Minho a small nod and the younger reproduced the gesture out of pure reflex.

 

He watched as the man turned to talk to the woman by his side and soon, the two of them and a teenage boy started walking in their direction.

 

Minho cursed his luck. What were the odds of him meeting his father there?

 

“What is it hyung?” Taemin asked, noticing his change of behavior.

 

“Father's here.” Minho said.

 

The raven-head rose an eyebrow in surprise, but before he could react, he saw from the corner of his eye a figure stop by their table.

Instantly, Minho rose from his chair and bowed at the man and his family, Taemin – as quickly as he could – doing the same.

 

“Hi, hyung!” Sehun, Minho's fourteen year-old brother greeted as they reached them.

 

“Hi, buddy.” Minho smiled at the younger and then looked at his step-mother. “Hello, Jaena-sshi.”

 

The woman just nodded to acknowledge him, a tight smile on her face.

 

“It's nice seeing you two here.” Donghyuk said, clasping a hand on his son's shoulder.

 

His eyes then trained on Taemin and to the younger's swollen middle, his eyes widening just slightly.

 

“Taemin-ah... are you...” he seemed to look for his words. “Are you pregnant?”

 

“Hello, Mr. Choi.” the raven-head greeted, with a polite smile. “And yes, I am.”

 

Taemin wasn't even surprised the man didn't know. He hadn't expected Minho to share that with his father, given the fact that, no matter how casual they acted around each other, they were merely business partners.

 

“When were you planning on tell me I'm going to be a grandfather, Minho?” Donghyuk asked.

 

“It slipped my mind.” Minho replied, with a completely blank expression.

 

Taemin had to bite at the inside of his lower-lip, in order not to crack an amused smile at his husband's blatant lie.

 

“It's not the kind of thing that just slips one's mind.” Donghyuk remarked, casting a knowing gaze on his son.

 

“Is that so?”

 

The two men stared at each other for a few seconds and it seemed they were evaluating the pros and cons of pursuing that topic, but their little internal battle was interrupted when Jaena let out a small sigh, taking a step towards Taemin and enveloping him in a loose embrace.

 

“Congratulations.” she said as she pulled back and held him at arms' length.

 

“Thank you.” Taemin smiled at the woman.

 

“Congrats hyung!” Sehun was next.

 

“Thanks.”

 

Donghyuk was the first to break the eye-contact with his son, turning to Taemin and congratulating him before doing the same to Minho.

 

“Do you mind if we join you?” the man asked. “It's really rare for us to be reunited like this.”

 

Minho was about to refuse, but the look Taemin gave him was enough for him to swallow back his words and accept the suggestion.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

Taemin chanced a glance at his husband and bite at his lower-lip in guilt as he saw the elder's tense posture as he drove them back home. Their time at the pizzeria had been one of the most uncomfortable moments they had to go through, with Donghyuk trying to act all fatherly towards Minho, oftentimes coming back to the topic of the younger having omitted from telling him about Taemin's pregnancy. Which of course, always led Minho to step up his passive-aggressive behavior towards the man, that resulted in both Jaena and Taemin trying to diffuse the situation.

 

The raven-head couldn't help but feel guilty for his husband's discomfort, knowing that he was in part responsible for the uneasy position they had been in. He didn't really know what he had been thinking, he had just wanted things not to get awkward with Minho blatantly refusing his father and family's company – which the raven-head knew the elder would've done without so much as trying to find a viable excuse –, but he was conscious that he had only made things worse.

 

As they got home, Minho parked the car and they made their way for the elevator. As the lift arrived and they got in, the ascent to their floor only grew more uncomfortable with each passing second, until the younger couldn't take it anymore.

 

“Are you mad at me?” he asked, looking up at his husband who stood stiffly in the middle of the enclosed space, hands in his pockets.

 

“For what?”

 

That was answer enough for the raven-head, he knew that tone all too well. He wouldn't let it discourage him however.

 

“You know what.” he retorted.

 

The older male let out a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes, as if he were trying to calm himself.

 

“I'm not mad at you.” he said after a few seconds. “I just don't get why you acted like it was normal for me to just go and accept their company. It's not like you don't know of our relationship.”

 

Taemin pursed his lips. “I know Minho, that's why I didn't want things to get awkward with you just plainly refusing their company. Besides, Sehun and Jaena-sshi have nothing to do with how you and your father relate. Mistreating them like that would've not only been rude, but also unfair.”

 

Minho snorted at the statement but before he could add anything else, the elevator stopped at their floor and the doors opened.

He set his jaw and repressed another sigh as he reached back and set a hand on his husband's lower-back, guiding him out of the lift with a light “come on”.

 

Taemin let himself be pushed, although he kept a small frown assessing the elder's expression as they walked towards their door. It was clear Minho had every intention of letting the matter drop, but the younger wouldn't have any of that. If there was one valuable lesson he'd learned the past months, was to never let Minho avoid that kind of talk. He didn't want a repeat of the situation they had gone through barely even a month ago and if that meant pushing his husband's boundaries, then he would.

 

“Besides,” he spoke up just as the elder tapped in the code on the door-pad of their apartment. “think of how disappointed Sehun would've been. He looks up to you a lot and you barely even have any chances of interacting with the kid.”

 

“Taemin, please.” Minho said as he grimaced and pushed the door open before urging the smaller male inside the loft with a slight push to the back.

 

Once the younger was inside, he followed suit, closing the door and taking his shoes off at the entrance just as his husband did the same.

 

“You're going to say it's not true?” the raven-head insisted. “How long had it been since you'd last seen your brother? You can't let your relationship with Mr. Choi get in the way of how you relate to Sehun and today was a good opportunity of spending time with him.”

 

“I can do it when father's not there to ruin the mood.” the elder said dismissively as he walked further inside the apartment, going straight to the living-room and plopping down on the couch.

 

“Would you though?” Taemin followed, bracing his belly as he sat sideways by his husband. “When was the last time you took the kid out to spend some quality time with you?”

 

He could almost see a vein twitch in the elder's temple. Good.

 

“Why does it matter?” Minho asked, obviously trying to hold in his temper. “Where are you trying to go with this?”

 

“It matters because Sehun is the primary example of how you keep letting Mr. Choi get in the way of things.” Taemin said, leaning against the back of the couch and caressing his rounded stomach. “Just like you were letting him dictate how you were taking my pregnancy.”

 

When Minho didn't respond, Taemin sat straight once again.

 

“He's not almighty, hyung... and he doesn't live to make your life hard, not matter how much it seems like it. You're the one letting him get under your skin and ruin things for you.”

 

“You're saying I have some masochist tendency to let my father hurt me?!” the wry tone in the elder's voice had Taemin scowling.

 

“That's not what I meant, and you know that.” he reprimanded. “I just want you to see that it's about time you cross that bridge.”

 

Minho sighed heavily once again and leaned forward, burying his face into his hands as he propped an elbow on each knee.

 

“I know, Tae...” he said after a few seconds. “I know. But I... I don't think I can just yet... I don't know why... Things are fine and going well and then he comes in and it's like everything comes crashing down again. Maybe I'm letting him get under my skin as you say, but I can't help it.”

 

The elder then looked up to meet the raven-head's gaze, dropping his hands as he leaned back against the couch.

 

“I'm trying, though. You know I am.”

 

“I know you are.” Taemin conceded after a moment of staring into the older male's eyes before he bent forward as much as he could, to lean his forehead on the taller male's shoulder. “I'm sorry...”

 

It was Minho's turn to frown. “For what?”

 

Taemin took his time to answer and when he did, he propped his chin on the elder's shoulder so he could look up at him.

 

“For being pushy.” he said and then bite his lower-lip. “I just don't want things to go back to how they were a few weeks ago.”

 

“They won't.” Minho assured without missing a beat, raising a hand to caress his husband's cheek with the back of his fingers. “I'm not letting my insecurities push you or our baby away from me ever again.”

 

Taemin felt his heart skip a beat at the words and a bright smile stretched his lips. Seeing the complete change in his husband's behavior, Minho couldn't help but let out a disbelieving chuckle.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

“You said 'our baby'...” the younger informed, with barely contained joy. “not 'the baby' but ' _our_ baby'... it's the first time you refer to them like that...”

 

Minho really didn't know what to make of the information. The words had rolled off his tongue so naturally that if Taemin hadn't pointed it out, he would've never noticed.

 

This time a smile of his own stretched his lips as he leaned in and pecked his husband's lips.

 

“Well, you might as well get used to it.”

 

Taemin's eyes were gleaming and Minho couldn't help but be infected by his husband's joy. If when he'd first heard of the younger's pregnancy, he'd known that his acceptance and support in it would've brought the younger such elation, he would've probably let his guard drop more easily. He ignored the annoying echo of Kibum's smug voice chanting an _“I told you so”_ in the back of his mind as the thought formed.

 

The raven-head jolting slightly with a small gasp had his smile dropping as he instantly grabbed the younger by the shoulders and looked him over.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

But the smaller male wasn't even looking at him, instead he was staring down at his stomach as he cupped it.

 

“Love, what's wrong?”

 

Taemin shook his head with an even larger smile – if that was possible. He then reached for one of Minho's hands and placed it on the top of his rounded belly, his breathing slightly shallow, as if he were afraid of taking too deep breaths.

 

The elder frowned, ready to reiterate his inquiry on the younger's well-being, when he felt a nudge against his palm, that effectively knocked the words off his tongue as he stared wide-eyed at his hand.

 

“What–”

 

Taemin laughed, squeezing Minho's hand slightly.

 

“I think our little one approves of your new of way of addressing them.”

 

The elder huffed in disbelief, running his hand down the side of the raven-head's belly.

 

“I can't believe this...” he confessed. “He's always so full of surprises...”

 

Taemin was the one to snort then. “He? What if it's a girl?”

 

“Whatever, 'they' is ugly.”

 

The younger grimaced. “We really need a nickname.”

 

“I told you, let's call him Surprise.”

 

A swat on the arm. “I said no. You're so lame.”

 

Minho was about to protest when Taemin shushed him with a kiss, before pulling back with a cheeky smile.

 

“I'm the one carrying him, I choose.”

 

The elder rolled his eyes. “You sound like Kibum.”

 

Taemin winked at him. “I learned from the best.”

 

Minho could only snort once again. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I know it's been a while since my last update and I'm so sorry, I got swooped back into my other stories... Anyways, I didn't forget this and I've had like, three quarters of that chapter written for a while and yeah... it's here.
> 
> The next one should be the last! I'm debating whether I put everything into one chapter or make a chapter plus an epilogue... but that will be decided by the story (yeah, that story has a mind too...).
> 
> Thank you all for being so patient with me! I hope you guys enjoyed this and yeah... hehe thanks for the kudos!  
> Do tell me what you think in the comments! ;)
> 
> See you next time!
> 
> xoxo


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